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Full of rage, he lifts the steel hammer and slams the blunt end repeatedly into the man's face. One swing after the other until his skull is smashed in, leaving nothing but a bloody cavity. Kelly's eyes are locked on Tyler as he exhausts himself swinging. She lifts her shirt in a panic, revealing where the bleeding is coming from. I watch as relief washes over her when she notices the knife missed her stomach and pierced her right side. She puts pressure on her wound with her palm and t-shirt, then runs to Tyler, pulling him off the man he just killed. I hear her screaming at Tyler that she and the baby are okay.

Tyler looks up to her then falls to the ground from exhaustion, but as he lies on the ground, another bloody face tries to ambush him and Kelly. Tyler must also see him coming because he grabs his hammer with the knife end out, and slams it directly into the guy's chest. He drops to the ground, and Tyler drops his arm, letting out a ragged breath. I’m ambushed again, turning my attention back to fighting. I hear Tyler scream and I turn to see another bloody face kicking him in the ribs. I turn around and swing my axe at the woman attacking me. My axe slams into her chest, causing her to drop to the ground. I rush over, tackling the man kicking my brother, then I crawl back to Tyler and Kelly.

“I’m fine. Check on Kelly, please,” shouts Tyler.

“I'm okay,” answers Kelly.

While I'm on the floor checking on Tyler and catching my breath, suddenly I feel excruciating pain as a blade rips through my right shoulder and exits through the front. The pain is white-hot. As if in slow motion, I turn my head and see my reflection in the blood covering a large butcher knife. Slowly, the butcher knife begins to disappear as it's pulled out. I turn my body to see who stabbed me in the back, but I already know exactly who the culprit is. I need to make eye contact with him before my life is taken.

When I’m facing Logan, he has saliva and blood dripping from his mouth like a rabid animal about to attack, with an evil grin spread across his face. He lifts his boot and shoves me backward onto floor. The pain in my shoulder is so intense that I can't lift myself. With both hands on his knife, Logan slowly lifts the blade high above his head, ready to slam it into my chest. I lie there, unmoving. But before he slams the knife down into me again, he leans down to whisper.

“I want to watch the life drain out of your eyes while you stare at me.” He then spits a mouthful of blood in my face. “Your father would be so disappointed in the weak little shit you've turned out to be.” Those words cut deeper than any knife ever could. Before I can react, Logan lifts higher to slam his knife into me. I close my eyes, bracing for the impact. I hear Tyler scream and then a gasp of breath from above me. The entire room goes silent. When I open my eyes, I see a broken wooden handle pierced directly through Logan's heart. On the opposite end of the wooden handle above me is Tyler, dripping with sweat and out of breath.

“My turn to protect you, brother,” he says, looking at me, then collapses across my chest.

The chaos and killing in the room stops as everyone watches Logan take his last breath, then fall backward, his face showing shock at his defeat. I remain still, having just watched my life flash before my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I muster all my strength and roll Tyler off me to check his condition. As I check on him, he begins to blink and regain consciousness, and I bend down, getting close enough that only he can hear me.

“Thank you,” I whisper, grateful.

Kelly rushes to Tyler's side, while Julie stands silent with a shocked expression.

I give Kelly a smile, then lean in closer to her. “Congratulations on the baby.”

She gives me a surprised look and opens her mouth to say something. I cut her off and answer before she can say anything, “I heard you tell Tyler.”

Kelly smiles back at me, then bends down to check on Tyler. Julie makes her way to me, still looking shocked by the situation. Mary throws the table she is standing behind to the ground, hitting the floor with a loud thump. The noise startles everyone, and we all turn to face her.

The bright sun shines into the medical center, illuminating the chaotic scene. Battered and beaten bodies are scattered around. Crimson drips down the walls and glass doors leading to the balcony, flowing like a slasher film. We all stare at each other in shock, unable to move or make a sound. I walk to the center of the room and stand calmly with Julie by my side. Tyler remains on the ground, with Kelly kneeling beside him.

Sara joins me in the center of the room and starts to speak to everyone. “Look at what we've done and what we've become. All this fighting, and for what? From now on, we are one group. Together, we will survive until we are rescued from this nightmare. If we are resourceful, and if we work together and combine our ideas, we can find a way to survive without killing each other. If you don’t agree, get the hell out now.”

Before anyone has a chance to react, Karissa emerges from across the room screaming. Everyone turns to see her drop to the floor next to a young man. The young man is either dead or unconscious because he isn't moving.

“Karissa, what's wrong?” I ask.

Before she can answer, I look at the body she is holding; I don’t need her to respond to know what she's going to say. It’s her brother.

“Mary, we need help!” I shout.

Everyone steps out of the way as Mary rushes over and drops to the ground beside Karissa and her brother. Karissa looks up at Mary with tear-filled eyes. “Please help Xander. I can't lose him; he is my only family,” Karissa croaks through sobs.

Mary looks down at Xander, examining his wounds. His stomach rises and falls, showing he's breathing. She doesn’t seem worried about the superficial wounds all over his body; all her focus is on the wooden spear protruding from his left leg.

“If we are going to be able to save his leg, I need to remove the wooden stick and pray that it’s not in a major artery. It's a good thing he's knocked out because this is going to be painful.” Karissa and I both stare blankly at her.

“What can we do?” asks Karissa.

“I'm going to need help holding him down and I need a medical kit. There is one in the closet. Theo, can you grab it?” asked Mary.

“Yes, I’ll be right back,” I say.

I get to the closet, open the door, and notice a medical bag sitting on the floor. I quickly open it and see tons of medical supplies. I grab the bag, wincing in pain from my shoulder. I can’t lift the bag because the pain is too intense, so I drag it over to her.

All at once, several people approach Xander and quickly kneel, offering their help. They each place their hands on different parts of his body, making sure he is secure.

“Okay, give me the iodine, suture kit, and some bandages,” says Mary. I slide the bag over to Mary, not entirely sure I'd grab what she was asking for. She digs in the bag, then spreads out all the items next to Xander, and looks up at us all. “On the count of three, hold him with everything you've got. One. Two. Three.” Then she pulls the wooden spear out. A portion of the spear has broken off under his skin, visible to everyone. Xander wakes up screaming in pain. His eyes are wide. His body flings around as he screams louder than I’ve ever heard a man scream.

“I have to remove the rest of the wood and suture him.” She slips her fingers into Xander’s wound, digging for the wood fragments. Xander screams again, flailing his body. Suddenly he stops, and his body goes limp, passing out again.